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Riding motorcycles is not all about tarmac, asphalt and concrete (paver blocks too, on our unfortunate roads). When the monsoon blows up our so-called roads, the nearest slush field is where you and I can always find peace of mind. Just the thought that you were knee-deep in a stream a few hours ago makes the traffic jam into town, worth it. Back at the office, the sound of squeaky clean high heels shuffling hurriedly out of the way of mud-plastered Alpinestars warms the heart even though our limbs are frozen. And when we sit down, the aches tell us that it was a morning well spent.
At such times, questions like ‘Should we ride in slush?’, ‘Is it safe?’ and ‘Can we do it on any motorcycle?’ seem pointless. When you’re out there going as fast as you dare, developing reflexes and improving machine control by leaps and bounds, you know that a few spills aren’t going to matter. Everyone, even Valentino Rossi, agrees that the skills learnt off-road make you a better rider on the road. And you can do it on any machine. To prove it (more to save our lazy selves from preparing the bikes), we took two completely normal motorcycles, the Honda CB Twister and the Yamaha SZ-R, and headed to the nearest patch of forest land.
Stopping en route at a McDonalds to tank up our stomachs, we ran into Farmer Kyle of Gundavli village on his daily morning run to the fields on his trusty old Rajdoot. It turned out that he now owns the McDonalds we were stuffing our faces at, and graciously imposed himself upon us, tagging along for the ride. And we didn’t complain. If there’s anyone who knows a thing or two about handling off-road conditions day in and day out for years on end, it’s this hardworking... motorcycle. And thanks to Farmer Kyle, you will now see how to ride in the slush – the right way, the wrong way and Farmer Kyle’s way, which is neither. Now let’s leave our road techniques where the trail begins, shall we?
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